The Role of Women in Shakespeare's Time: Analyzing Dusinerre's Interpretation

To What Extent Does Dusinberre Correctly Interpret the Role of Women in Shakespeare’s Time? Use the Argument of Jardine, Three Other Academic Sources, and Close Analysis to Support Your Viewpoint.

Feminism,  a social and political movement that aims to define, establish, and achieve equal, political, personal, and social rights for women, is a topic that has taken centuries upon centuries to obtain. Notably, according to The World Economic Forum, which is an independent international organization based in Switzerland, which was founded in 1971, states: 

There are only 14 countries in the world which offer full legal protections to women, according to the report Women, Business and the Law 2023, recently published by the World Bank. Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Sweden as well as Germany and the Netherlands were the nations offering full equal rights for men and women, at least from a legal perspective (Buchholz)

Jardine suggests that the female characters within Shakespeare’s plays are limited and often portrayed as being controlled, or rather, ‘tamed’. Jardine’ s book, Still Harping on Daughters, is a work of feminist literary criticism that challenges how scholars interpret female characters within Shakespeare’s plays. Jardine’s book argues that the representation of women in the Renaissance era are not realistic portraits, but rather shaped by social, economic, and theatrical contexts of the time, such as patriarchal laws and the use of boy actors within plays states: 

As long as woman uses her natural intelligence to set off the man’s abilities with her own grasp on religion learning, household management, she is his supreme ornament, ‘a chain of gold to adorn [his] neck’. But the minute she shows signs of independence (inevitably represented on stage as adultery and sexual rapaciousness) those gifts become responsible for her downfall (38). 

This can be seen in Act 2 where Kathrine hits Petruchio and he threatens to hit her back, in a quotation that states: “‘That I'll try [she strikes him]’ ‘I swear I'll cuff you if you strike again’” (2, 1, 218). In this quotation, Kathrine is seen challenging Petruchio and showing her independence, and still, she is seen as responsible for her ‘own downfall’ for when Petruchio hits her after warning her. Exactly like how Jardine stated, women the second show their independence are seen to be responsible for their own downfall. In the play, it is shown that when Kathrine ‘threatens’ Petruchio’s authority by showing her sense of independence she is very quickly threatened. When Petruchio warned Kathrine that if she were to strike him ‘again’, he would hit her back. The use of ‘again’ in the play shows how Petruchio is feeling threatened by seeing how naturally independent Kathrine is and how it would be more difficult to ‘tame’ her without threatening her which is what his first instinct is in order to have her under control. By the use of ‘again’, it suggests that Petruchio already is aware of Kathrine’s independence, framing her assertiveness as something ongoing, rather than isolated. It shows how Petruchio is aware that Katherine’s independence can not be easily suppressed. This also shines light on the idea of Petruchio relying on dominance and intimidation to gain control rather than showing mutual respect. Additionally, before, Kathrine states: “If I be waspish, best be aware my sting” (2, 1, 210). The use of ‘waspish’ is used by Kathertine to warn Petruchio of her temper, while also comparing herself to a wasp to emphasize her ability to defend herself when angered. This metaphor suggests that her acting out is purposeful, highlighting her awareness of how others treat her. By warning Petruchio to ‘be aware’ of her ‘sting’, she is able to take control of the dialogue and prove her independence. The stage direction stating: “she strikes him”, signifies how Kathrine really does go against societal norms of the time of Shakespeare, where women were expected to stay silent, obedient, and submissive towards their husbands. An essay written by Laurine Maguire who is a Professor of English at Magdalen College, Oxford, whose research contains textural studies, classic influences on Renaissance writers, contemporary performances of Shakespeare’s plays, etc. analyzes how The Taming of the Shrew touches on the topics of power and control. It focuses on characters like Kathrine who are treated like “quarry” within the play, which symbolizes how they are manipulated by those in a higher social position than them like Petruchio. Maguire uses the word “quarry” as a metaphor to demonstrate how certain characters like Kathrine were almost in a situation of being targets for being hunted to be pursued and controlled. In hunting, a “quarry” refers to an animal being chased, which has little power and is ultimately at mercy of the hunter. By using this term for Kathrine, Maguire suggests that they are not in control of their own situations, but instead are being manipulated by those of higher status, that being Petruchio. This idea was also touched on by Malcom when he stated: “Kathrine had the most power in the start of the play…later on she fell into submission to her husband Petruchio" (Gourlay). Additionally, in Mr. Cohen’s presentation regarding the time of Shakespeare, which includes numerous academic readings, the topic of female hysteria was mentioned when he stated: “Women were diagnosed with female hysteria if they spoke too much, didn’t obey society’s expectations, or disagreed with their partner” (Cohen). The idea that women were diagnosed with “female hysteria” if they spoke too much, or disobeyed any expectations set on them further supports Jardine’s argument about how women’s independence is displayed in Shakespeare’s plays is temporary and ultimately controlled. At the beginning of the play, Kathrine is seen as outspoken and later on, she progresses to Petruchio ‘taming’ her and slowly strips away her independence. By the end, her submission reflects not equality, but the success of patriarchal control at the time. 

Dusineberre suggests Shakespeare represents women as individuals with an equal intellectual understanding and morality to men. In Shakespeare the Nature of Women, written by Dusinberre; specifically in chapter two, The Problem of Equality, Dussinberre argues that the Renaissance brought a ‘shift’ in thinking about gender, where women in Shakespeare’s plays were merely ‘underlings’. Instead, emphasizing that they participate in the same moral and intellectual mindset as the male characters in the play. In her book, Dusinberre explains, "Physically she might be weaker, but spiritually she was man’s equal” (77). This highlights that the differences between men and women are not considered through intelligence, or morality, but are socially constructed roles. This is seen being disproven in Act 5 where Katherine is seen submitting to Petruchio and saying he could step on her hand. “The vail your stomachs, for it is no boot, and place your hand below your husband’s foot: in token of which duty, if he please, my hand is ready, may it do him ease” (5, 2, 185). In the quotation, Katherine is seen submitting herself to Petruchio in front of everyone showing that the women in Shakespeare’s plays are not seen as equal, instead, seen as needing to be ‘tamed’ by controlling every last bit of independence they have. The use of the word “vail” suggests how a woman's independence must be actively restrained by a man in her life.  Furthermore, the use of “stomachs” in the Elizabethan era refers to pride or inner will, meaning, Kathrine is not just telling women to behave and stay obedient, but to become internally disciplined. This helps extend the idea of submission and how it is a choice that was forced upon women at the time. Additionally, in Katherine’s final speech, she states: “and place your hand below your husband’s foot”. The metaphor of placing a ‘hand’ beneath a ‘foot’ emphasizes a clear hierarchy where the husband is positioned as dominant and the wife, who is submissive. Shakespeare’s use of a monologue for Kathrine’s final speech is significant because it helps allow her submission to Petruchio to be presented as uninterrupted and authoritative. An essay written by Ella C. Lapham who wrote an essay called The Industrial Status of Women in Elizabethan England, which was published by The University of Chicago Press, states: “Women of every age, condition, and rank had their representatives in the industrial world” (565). This is seen to be disproven  because of how women's roles were incredibly restricted at the time. At the time, women were expected to focus on marriage, their husbands, and household management, rather than independent activities. This idea was also touched on by Sama when she stated: “Dusinberre’s argument doesn't reflect that time properly” (Augla). Additionally, Jardine argues that the Renaissance culture lim its women and only sees them through extreme behaviour stating: “And there is a disturbing consensus amongst these varied sources as to the unacceptable, emasculating, and yet curiously seductive nature of such female attributes. If the definition of the virtuous wife is as chaste, obedient, dutiful and silent, then the definition of the wife without virtue is as lusty, headstrong and talkative” (Jardine, 104). This shows that women are not evaluated as individuals, but instead judged based on how well they follow the societal expectations set on them.

Jardine suggests that Shakespeare allows women a moment of intelligence or assertiveness, but only when the traits ultimately serve or affirm male dominance. Any signs of independence from a woman, without any reasoning that doesn't help men assert dominance is stripped away from her and redirected so that it helps support male honour, marriage, or any social order that isn't challenged. This can be seen when Jardine states: “In literature, from folk-tale to romance, shrews are always women, though philologically they may properly be male, and they exercise a bewitching effect on the men who are subjected to their tongue’s lash” (103). This idea can also be seen in Act 5, scene 2 in Katherine's final speech when she states: “Fie, fie! Unknit that threat’ning unkind brow and dart not scornful glances from those eyes to wound thy lord, thy king, thy governer.” (5, 2, 145). Even though it is her monologue and can be argued that she was given the freedom to speak for that long, it is still seen to benefit Petruchio, and the other men at the time. The use of “lord”, “king”, and "governor", reinforce his position over her and how he has free authority over Katherine. The titles Katherine used to describe Petruchio, can be seen as metaphors and how Petruchio truly is seen as an authoritative figure towards Katherine, who she should submit to. Shakespeare’s use of a monologue in this moment shows how truly significant her speech of admitting to submission is. It gives Katherine a moment to admit her submission without any interruptions, giving her a sense of obedience that appears fully accepted, rather than limited. This helps with the idea of how women were only given freedom if men benefitted from it. The ‘threat hypothesis’ was published by SAGE Journals, which is the online platform for SAGE Publications, a leading independent academic publisher founded in 1965. It hosts over 1,000 peer-reviewed, high-impact journals across humanities, social sciences, etc. It states: “The threat hypothesis and the benefit hypothesis, which view the impact of women's employment on men's gender beliefs from different perspectives. Whereas the threat hypothesis asserts that women's sharing of the provider role with men may cause men to be resistant to the gender equality ideal for fear of losing their masculine identities and their wives' domestic services” (1). From this, it helps with the argument on how men could feel threatened with a woman’s income or independence, which helps relate to Kastherine’s independence which is slowly stripped away from her. This idea was also touched on by Alec who stated: “Her power diminishes” (Batev).  Additionally, Ruth Goodman, who is a British freelance historian of the early modern period, specialising in offering advice to museums and heritage attractions From an early age at school boys were taught to “be bold and outgoing in all their actions, signifying the courage and strength that ought to be in a man…” (Goodman, 2016, 90). This helps highlight how traits such as confidence and assertiveness are traditionally coded as masculine qualities. By linking "courage and strength”, it reinforces the idea that boldness is a socially constructed behaviour for men. 

In conclusion, while Dusinberre argues that Shakespeare presents women as intellectually and morally equal to men, Jardine’s critique is seen as more accurate and convincing, by demonstrating that equality is limited by the patriarchal structure. Across Shaespeare’s plays, moments of female independence are often temporary, performative, or redirected into socially accepted roles such as marriage and obedience. Therefore, rather than representing genuine equality, Shakespeare’s portrayal of women reflects a controlled system in which independence is allowed only with strict boundaries, ultimately supporting Jardine;s view that the view of women is shaped and contained by the patriarchy. Ultimately, Shakespeare’s women may speak with the voice of ‘independence’, but they are written within a world that ensures their silence is always the final word.

Augla, Sama. Hamlet Presentation. Blyth Academy. April 8th 2026.

Batev, Alec. Hamlet Presentation. Blyth Academy. April 8th 2026.

Dusinberre, Juliet. Shakespeare and the nature of women. St. Martin's Press, 1996.

Goodman, Ruth. How to be a Tudor: a Dawn to Dusk guide to everyday life. London, Penguin 

Books, 2016.

Gourlay, Malcolm. Hamlet Presentation. Blyth Academy. April 8th 2026.

Jardine, Lisa. Still Harping on Daughters: Women and Drama in the Age of Shakespeare. 

Columbia University Press, 1989.

Lapham, Ella Caroline. “The Industrial Status of Women in Elizabethan England.” Journal of 

Political Economy, vol. 9, no. 4, 1901, pp. 562–99. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1819353. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.

MAGUIRE, LAURIE E. “Cultural Control in ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’” Renaissance Drama, 

vol. 26, 1995, pp. 83–104. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41917319. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.

Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. New York City. No Fear Shakespeare. 2004.

Zuo, Jiping, and Shengming Tang. “Breadwinner Status and Gender Ideologies of Men and 

Women Regarding Family Roles.” Sociological Perspectives, vol. 43, no. 1, 2000, pp. 29–43. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1389781. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.